Tell Me You Love Me
Episode 6, Season 4 of War. Enjoy. <3 Tell Me You Love Me "She did what?!" The recruit's eyes were wide. "S-She said to tell commander Gorsefur that s-she got here o-okay, b-but she needed a few d-days." "Did she say where she was going?" Gorsefur asked. Unconsciously, he shifted his weight to his right side, then flinched. Although his shoulder was still mostly healed, it stung to put weight on it. The recruit shook his head and Gorsefur cursed. Brookfall was stubborn at the best of times. He couldn't imagine how she would fare after thinking she might have killed someone in cold blood. Even if that someone deserved it. He pushed into Main. He heard Grayleaf mutter an apology to the recruit who stammered something back, but he didn't care. He was angry and aching and- "Gorsefur." He turned to see Shadowsong looking at him with slightly narrowed eyes. "You walked past the den." Gorsefur sighed and turned back. He could see the others peering at him anxiously, Grayleaf, Briarclaw, Adderscar. Shadowsong and Oakclaw in front of him. They need you, he thought. You can't fail them because you're worried about-'' "Where's Stormflight?" he asked. The others looked around and muttered general comments about not knowing. Gorsefur sighed and looked around. Stormflight was walking dreamily away from the den and Gorsefur trotted after him. "Stormflight! Stormflight!" The tom turned and blinked in surprise, then turned and padded back to Gorsefur. "Sorry, got distracted." Gorsefur nodded and the two toms made their way back to the others. "Stormflight all moony eyed over some pretty she-cat?" Oakclaw called. "They make 'em pretty nice here at Main." "They do not and I wasn't!" Stormflight meowed quickly. A little too quickly. "Touchy, touchy..." Briarclaw purred. "So who is it?" "No one!" Stormflight's blue eyes were wild. "I don't-" "I bet it's someone we know!" Shadowsong said gleefully. "Oooh, do you think they're in ''looooove?" "I-" "Alright, enough," Gorsefur felt his whiskers twitch. "We need to go get some food. And besides, we all know Stormflight could never land a she-cat from Main." There was a chorus of purrs and Stormflight glared at the ground. "Alright, Grayleaf, Briarclaw, and Adderscar set up camp. Oakclaw, Shadowsong, and Loveheart over here will come with me to get some food." Stormflight endured a few more jabs as he rolled his eyes and padded over to meet the older cats. Together, the four warriors padded away from the squad's den and to the Market. The Market was a hub of cats who tried to trade and barter prey, herbs, and other goods. Gorsefur considered it to be a little unusual, but he remembered apprentice days running through it, playing, hiding, maybe even stealing once or twice. If you weren't a soldier, you had to have something to trade in order to receive anything, but a soldier in the army was always guaranteed a free meal. Gorsefur headed to the open den that housed this operation, trailed by the others. They picked up their food, making sure they had enough to feed the others as well. Weaving back into the market and padding close to the edge of the path, Gorsefur was blinded by a cloud of dust. He felt the rabbit he was carrying be torn away. Coughing, he heard the others curse as their prey was similarly removed. Instinct, more than anything, led him to chase after the cats. For the first few moments, he had to use scent alone, as there was still dust in his eyes. "Stop!" His eyes cleared and he blinked, looking around. A moment before he hit, he realized he was about to hit a den. Unable to slow down, he skidded, slammed into the den, and bounced off. Groaning and shoulder throbbing, he opened his eyes to see several lean, scarred faces staring down at him. "Shoulda left us alone," a filthy gray she-cat growled. "Now you're on Blooder turf." Gorsefur looked up to see they were right- he had chased the thieves out of the Market and into the residential areas that lay on the other side. Not the nice dens- the bad side of Main Camp. He was backed up against a den, roped in by a semi-circle of lean, rough looking cats. At least the den looked weak- maybe he could break through...? "Gorsefur, you didn't tell us you had a date. You and Stormflight can double!" Gorsefur looked up to see Oakclaw, Shadowsong, and Stormflight approaching. "Oh, I can just see it now..." Oakclaw continued, mock sighing dreamily. "You all best back away." the she-cat who had growled at Gorsefur earlier snarled. "This isn't none of your business." "Oh, you hear that?" Shadowsong said sarcastically. "It's not our business, guess we'd better just go home." The she-cat bared her teeth, but Shadowsong didn't even look at her. Her dark amber eyes were narrowed at Gorsefur. "You okay?" He nodded, ears hot with embarrassment. Oakclaw took a step forward, "Look, mange-pelts, you can either run off now or hobble off later, lacking a few essential parts." The she-cat who was in the lead didn't seem to hear him. Her eyes were wide and focused on Shadowsong. "Shade?" She breathed. Shadowsong took a step back, visibly shaken. "Ice?" "You two know each other?" Gorsefur asked. Shadowsong was still gaping at the she-cat - Ice. Ice took a step forward and Shadowsong seemed to recover her senses, turning away. "Let's go," she commanded coldly. Gorsefur took the distraction to slip back to his cats. "Shade, wait!" Ice called. Her paws skittered on the ground as she chased the group. "Shade, listen, we need-" "No," Shadowsong turned, her eyes liquid fire. "You don't get to 'need' anything from me anymore. If you come after us, I'll kill you. Just leave me-us- alone." She turned and resumed walking, the others shell-shocked into following her. Ice called out once more. "If we found you, that means the Claws probably already have! You could use some protection." Eyes still smoldering, Shadowsong stopped walking. Shadowsong hated herself. Even the familiar dens rising around her couldn't contain her fury. Oakclaw pressing against her flank couldn't push down the wave of emotion. And, as Ice and the others had left them alone to eat, the toms were all looking at her. Waiting for an explanation. An explanation Shadowsong was loathe to give them. "You all..." She was painfully aware her voice sounded wrong, and she took a moment to steady herself. Then she began again, stronger. "You all come from Main. Same as me. The difference, is that all of you come from well-off families. Generals and talented hunters and pretty parents. There are so many cats here...and most of them are fine. But there are cripples, orphans, addicts...cats who can't take care of themselves and their families. And that's where I'' come from." Oakclaw gave her shoulder a comforting lick and she ignored him. This was hard enough as it was. "My father...he wasn't around. My sister was born and he stuck around for about a moon before he ran off. My mother was...gentle. She wanted to be a medicine cat, but we didn't have the right connections, so she couldn't get into the Academy. I was basically hunting for my family since I learned how." "Who are the Blooders and the Claws?" Stormflight asked. Gorsefur took that one. "They're gangs. They're pretty much the only ones, but they hate each other. Before the war, that was what a lot of warriors spent their time doing- infiltrating and trying to bring the gangs down." "The gangs did a lot of bad things," Shadowsong agreed. "Stealing, killing, getting cats hooked on herbs. But if you joined up, you were under their protection. They'd make sure you didn't go hungry most nights and, if you got drafted, they'd watch out for your family." Shadowsong lowered her voice. "They're ''supposed to." "So Ice was your...friend?" Gorsefur asked, his eyes narrowed slightly. "My best friend," Shadowsong replied, purring without mirth. "But why the...weird names?" Stormflight asked. "Ice and...did she call you...Shade?" "Aw, don't tell me you and your mate don't have pet names," Oakclaw teased. The younger tom's ears flattened. "Well, it was a tradition." Shadowsong explained. "You picked a 'new' name. A rogue name, something tough. Some cats figured we'd been abandoned by WaterClan, so why not abandon our names." "That makes sense, in a twisted sort of way." Gorsefur shrugged. "And you're scared of these Claws finding you?" Oakclaw asked, claws unsheathing. "I'm not..." Shadowsong decided it was useless to argue. "They hold grudges and they're not...overly fond of me." "Perfect." Stormflight muttered. "Shade?" Shadowsong looked up to see Ice looking down at her with pale blue eyes. When they were younger, they had laughed about how they clashed. Shadowsong was the night with eyes like the sun and Ice was a moon with eyes like a river. Contradictions upon contradictions. She stood up and padded over to Ice. Her former friend had gotten skinnier since they'd parted. Her pelt was dingy, making it look gray rather than silver. Inwardly, she cursed Gorsefur and the incessant tom need for dominance. Why couldn't he have just let Ice steal their prey? Ice led her away from her squadmates, and turned. "I know you're angry-" "Angry?" Shadowsong snorted. "You might think that." Ice had never been one to feel particularly guilty over anything, but she looked guilty now. "I do. And I'm sorry, but Shade, we need you. The Claws are a whisker-length from slaughtering us all. All of us- not just the warriors. Kits. Elders. Queens." "See, the issue here is that you're the reason any semblance of a conscious I had is gone." Shadowsong said. Ice flinched and Shadowsong pressed her advantage. "Remember how I would talk to you all the time? Feeling like a monster because my tongue was sharper than a thorn, because I could be content in killing someone for a scrap of squirrel? And the only reason I tried to be better, pushed that side of me away, was for-" she cut off, realizing she was shaking. With rage or sadness, she didn't know. "Bottom line is, we're not helping you." Ice's voice hardened. "This is life or death, Shade. These cats were your friends." Shadowsong felt herself wavering, and it brought on a new wave of hatred towards herself. She was weak. "And since some Claw probably saw you and your friends here, they'll be chasing you now. Even if they wipe out all the rest of us, they won't stop coming after you. So you're stuck." Ice looked a little smug. She always had to be right, something that led her and Shadowsong to many fights during their tenuous friendship. The logical part of Shadowsong knew the she-cat was right. But she could still remember the gawky young cat returning home only to find her best friend had failed her in the most horrific way possible. "Fine," she growled through gritted teeth. "And Shade?" Shadowsong glared at Ice who smiled sweetly. "You're boyfriend's cute." "So we're in a gang now?" Stormflight asked. "I'm sure your mate will find you roguishly charming now," Oakclaw comforted. "We're breaking up the gang wars," Shadowsong clarified. "If we can disband the Claws, then the Blooders will probably break apart too." She looked to Gorsefur who had remained silent throughout her hurried explanation. "I know I didn't really consult you, and I'm sorry I dragged you all into this. But the Claws will try and kill you if we leave now. They'll think you're helping the Blooders anyways." Gorsefur nodded. "I know. You made the right call." He lowered his voice softly. "But are you going to be okay?" Shadowsong didn't answer that, attributing it to the fact Ice had walked in, flanked by a wiry tom Shadowsong recognized as Birch and a pretty brown tabby she didn't know. "This is Birch and Owl," Ice introduced. "Now, the Claws' hidey hole is over by the river, so the plan is try to and put the fear of StarClan in 'em until they surrender by pushin' 'em to the river." "How creative," Oakclaw muttered. None of the others were prone to argue though. They just wanted to get home as fast as they possibly could. "Alright. We leave at dawn." Ice announced, padding away. They had been given a den. It was in shambles, especially compared to the fine one they had back in the Barracks. Shadowsong was grateful when no one complained and she couldn't help but wonder if Adderscar, Briarclaw, and Grayleaf were looking for them. "Hey," she looked up to see Oakclaw. "Hey." He sat beside her and she looked away, waiting for him to say something. Finally he opened his mouth. "I just can't stop thinking...you remember our first mission?" "How could I not?" her mouth twisted into a wry smirk without her meaning for it to. "We almost died. Quite a bit." "Yeah," Oakclaw chortled. "Well...I was just thinking. Gorsefur and I were so bent on staying in, even after they said we could go home. But you were so adamant that you had to leave, that you had responsibilities." Shadowsong squeezed her eyes shut, praying for him to stop, but Oakclaw went on. "You were so determined...but then, a moon later, we got thrown together. So my guess is something happened, something with Ice, that made you come back." "I really hate you," Shadowsong muttered thickly. Oakclaw purred and she looked at her paws. "Look, I don't want to talk about it." Oakclaw didn't say anything for a moment, then he nodded. "It's just...I think you need to let it out. Because before...you were...different. You may have been stuck-up and stubborn, but you weren't deliberately cruel." She knew he hadn't meant the words to be hurtful. But she still turned away, closing her eyes and miming sleep. After a few moments, she heard Oakclaw sigh and some rustling as he settled in. The dawn was achingly cold and Shadowsong was unpleasantly reminded of how drafty these dens got. The others awoke in short order and they piled outside where the Blooders were gathering. Ice stood in front of them, her eyes lit up. Shadowsong could remember that same look, when she would talk about raids and The Future that would be Better. Always capitals, always hopeful and certain and perfect. "Ice is the leader...?" Gorsefur asked, looking surprised. Shadowsong nodded. "Didn't used to be." Oakclaw snorted, then looked at her with wide eyes. "Wait, so you were-" "New subject please," Shadowsong growled. "Alright, gang." Ice called, informal to the point that it was funny. But her bared teeth and unsheathed claws were anything but funny. "You all know the plan. Today is the day we wipe out the Claws, once and for all." A ragged howl of a cheer went up and Ice preened for a moment. Then she turned, and with a flick of her tail, the rogue Clan members were chasing after her. The four soldiers trotted after them reluctantly. "You know," Stormflight said, "You'd think after living in Main my whole life I would have heard something about hostile gangs who may or may not use me as fodder." Oakclaw opened his mouth and the younger tom glared at him. "And if you say anything involving the words 'love', 'mate', or 'girlfriend', I will shred you." Oakclaw shrugged with a smile and they kept an uneasy silence for a while. "We're in Claw turf now," Shadowsong said. Her pelt prickled with unease and she couldn't help but feel a panic come over her. To be a Blooder on Claw territory was practically asking to be mangled up and left to bleed to death. All her instincts were screaming for her to turn back. A yowl went up and soon bleary eyed cats- either from sleep or herbs- were stumbling out to fight. The river covered up most of the yowls, but every now and then a scream would split the air. The soldiers didn't really know what to do. This wasn't their fight. At least, it wasn't until some Claw spotted Shadowsong and yowled, "It's her!" and all focus went to them. "So, before Ice was the leader, I'm going to take a guess you were?" Oakclaw asked as six Claws rushed towards them. "No comment," Shadowsong said weakly, unsheathing her claws. It was harder for her, this fight, than any she had ever been in against FireClan. FireClan cats, though they were fox-hearted cowards, fought in their own style, more or less. But when the gangs fought, it was an all out free-for-all. Cats wouldn't hesitate to fight dirty and, since that was Shadowsong's usual MO, it made for some difficulties. It's always easier to trick a cat who doesn't know your tricks, she thought in annoyance as her feint was foiled by a growling tom. A cry went up and the fighting halted as everyone looked up to see Ice standing over the body of a large, scarred gray tom. She opened her eyes and they blazed, blue fire. "Rock is dead!" she crowed. "Claws, surrender and maybe we'll let you keep your tails!" "Time to go," Shadowsong muttered, backing away. "Huh?" Oakclaw looked at her. "They're going to keep fighting. The Blooders will probably win, but we don't need to stick around. It's not like Ice will miss us." They looked to Gorsefur who shrugged. "Yeah, I'm good." Creeping away, half expecting to be caught and clawed, they made their way back to the Market, and then their dens. Oakclaw and Stormflight padded ahead, but Gorsefur held Shadowsong back. And she knew why. "Look, I'm sorry I got us mixed up in this and-" "No, it's not that," he meowed. "It just...you're like my sister. And to see how things were there...I'd never even been to that side of camp before. It was...I just can't imagine you there. Growing up there, having to join up with a bunch of criminals just to live...it breaks my heart." Shadowsong was silent for a moment. And for a second, she could almost remember being a skinny little thing, with eyes to big for her head and a head to big for her body. Watching Rosekit toddle towards their purring father, her mother looking content. Before her ribs started to show, before her father's nest became empty, before she'd stumbled into the clearing where the Blooders met, hellbent on surviving. "You have to protect them," she told Ice, her eyes serious. Ice's eyes were wide and she nodded. It was hard to be the outgoing one, the bubbly, smart, perfect one when you were the one being left behind. "I need to hear you say it." Shadowsong pressed fiercely. "Promise?" "Promise." Ice whispered. Shadowsong closed her eyes, aching for a moment. "I know you hate to be pitied," Gorsefur went on. "But I just...feel bad." Shadowsong took a sharp breath, letting the dusty memories fall back into the corners of her mind. She met Gorsefur's eye, putting on a cheery air she knew she could never replicate again if she tried. "Don't bother." Gorsefur was worried about Shadowsong, but he was more worried when he got back to see everyone shouting. Literally. Briarclaw was shouting at Adderscar to stop shouting questions at Oakclaw so she could shout questions to Stormflight. Adderscar was shouting to Oakclaw who was shouting back, obviously irked. Stormflight was also shouting at Oakclaw, though he was doing it not for the purpose of figuring out the tom's whereabouts for the past day, but telling him to stop asking about his girlfriend. Grayleaf was shouting to be heard over everyone, begging for them to be quiet. "So...can I just officially be second now, forever?" Shadowsong asked as she surveyed the scene. Gorsefur was tempted to say yes and his whiskers twitched. He yowled for everyone to shut up, and after a few moments, they did. "Adderscar, we were fighting a gang war for Shadowsong, who apparently leads them, Briarclaw we don't have any food, and Stormflight, maybe you just should tell us." "Unless you're embarrassed." Oakclaw muttered. Then, as if it wasn't clear already. "Because she's ugly." Stormflight, who was not known for his ability to control his temper, and already fuming after being teased all day, exploded. "It's Snowflight, okay! I'm in love with Snowflight!" "So," Adderscar murmured. "Shadowsong's a gang leader and Stormflight's in love with a FireClan cat. Interesting." "Are you serious?!" Oakclaw yowled at Stormflight. "That crazy fox almost killed me!" "And she's FireClan!" Briarclaw growled. "That's against the rules!" "Wait, so Shadowsong was in a gang?" Grayleaf asked, looking worried. "Their leader!" Adderscar meowed. Gorsefur was already starting to get a bit of a headache when he heard an amused voice. "So, I'm back..." Everyone shut up long enough to turn and mutter hello to Brookfall. Gorsefur thought she looked achingly beautiful, with her green eyes alight with humor and her pelt sleek and shiny. She looked...haunted, too, but which one of them wasn't? "What'd I miss?" she asked, sitting down between Gorsefur and Stormflight. There was silence for a moment, then simultaneously, Gorsefur, Shadowsong, Oakclaw, Briarclaw, Adderscar, and Stormflight all called, "Not it!" Brookfall turned her bemused eyes to Grayleaf. "Dirt." he grumbled. Category:Artimas Hunter's Fanfics